Galley refrigeration system

ABSTRACT

A galley refrigeration system is provided in which a galley cart is positioned in the cavity of a galley compartment comprising at least a cart-facing opening positioned in a vertically intermediate region of the back wall, the galley cart or the galley compartment having a duct-facing opening positioned adjacent to the cart-facing opening. A heat exchanger configured to generate cooling air is provided within the galley compartment, adjacent the vertically intermediate region of the back wall of the galley compartment defining the cavity. An air supply duct, provided at the cart-facing opening, is configured to guide the cooling air from the heat exchanger into the galley cart, and configured to be detachably coupled to the duct-facing opening of the cart or the galley compartment. An electronically actuated valve controls a variable flow rate of the cooling air from the air supply duct into the galley cart.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/679,011, filed Nov. 8, 2019, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to aircraft galley refrigeration systems.

BACKGROUND

Commercial aircraft transporting passengers typically include one ormore galleys to store food and beverages on the aircraft. The food andbeverages are typically stored in galley carts and containers which aretransported to the aircraft and stored in refrigerated compartments orzones in the galleys. A heat exchanger is typically located outside thegalley and installed on the top of, underneath, or in back of thegalley. It supplies cooled air to each of the compartments or zones viaa plurality of air ducts and other components. The cooled air ducts andthe supply and return devices associated with the air ducts are routedalong the rear wall of the galley to the galley compartment to supplythe cooled air either directly to the galley carts in an air-throughsystem or directly to the compartment in an air-over system and toreturn the air to the heat exchanger. For example, vertical ducts mayextend from the heat exchanger, located above the galley, down the rearwall of the galley to the level of galley compartment, which is locatedat the bottom of the galley. Horizontal ducts may extend from thecorresponding vertical ducts along the various galley carts to supplythe air to, or return the air from, the galley carts and/or the galleycompartment.

In conventional galley refrigeration systems, a large amount of space isrequired for the airflow supply and return components, such as the ductsand the valves that interface with the galley carts, taking up a largeamount of cabin space and leading to higher heat gain and lowerefficiency. The heat exchangers are installed outside of the galley dueto size and noise, leading to higher factory installation costs,especially for heat exchangers that integrally interface with theplumbing system and environmental control system of the aircraft. Sinceconventional galley refrigeration systems are physically integrated intothe aircraft's environmental control system ducting that travel into thecrown of the galley monument, where the heat exchangers are placed, theconventional galley refrigeration system for any given aircraft isrequired to be custom designed around the unique technical requirementsof each specific aircraft application, such that the dimensions andphysical configurations of the ducting and heat exchangers may widelydiffer from aircraft to aircraft. This lack of uniformity andstandardization in the design, dimensions, and physical configurationsof conventional galley refrigeration systems is associated withincreased design, installation, maintenance, and operational costs.

SUMMARY

To address the above issues, according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure, a galley refrigeration system is provided comprising agalley compartment comprising at least a back wall and a pair of sidewalls defining a cavity, the galley compartment comprising at least acart-facing opening positioned in a vertically intermediate region ofthe back wall; a galley cart positionable in the cavity of the galleycompartment, the galley cart or the galley compartment having aduct-facing opening, the duct-facing opening being positioned adjacentto the cart-facing opening of the galley compartment forair-through-cart or air-over-cart cooling of the galley cart; a heatexchanger configured to generate cooling air; an air supply ductprovided at the cart-facing opening in the vertically intermediateregion of the back wall, configured to guide the cooling air from theheat exchanger into the galley cart, and configured to be detachablycoupled to the duct-facing opening in flow communication with theduct-facing opening; and a docking interface configured to detachablycouple a first air supply duct port of the air supply duct at thecart-facing opening to the duct-facing opening, the docking interfacecomprising an electronically actuated valve for controlling a variableflow rate of the cooling air from the air supply duct into the galleycart. At least a portion of the heat exchanger is provided within thegalley compartment, adjacent the vertically intermediate region of theback wall of the galley compartment defining the cavity.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a galleyrefrigeration system comprising: a galley compartment comprising atleast a back wall and a pair of side walls defining a cavity, the galleycompartment comprising at least a cart-facing opening positioned in alower region of the back wall; a galley cart positionable in the cavityof the galley compartment, the galley cart or the galley compartmenthaving a duct-facing opening, the duct-facing opening being positionedadjacent to the cart-facing opening of the galley compartment forair-through-cart or air-over-cart cooling of the galley cart; a heatexchanger configured to generate cooling air and provided adjacent tothe cart-facing opening; an air return duct configured to guide heatedair from the galley cart into the heat exchanger, and configured to bedetachably coupled to the heat exchanger; a docking interface configuredto detachably couple a first air supply duct port of the air supply ductat the cart-facing opening to the duct-facing opening of the galleycart, the docking interface comprising an electronically actuated valvefor controlling a variable flow rate of the cooling air from the airsupply duct into the galley cart. At least a portion of the heatexchanger is provided within the galley compartment and adjacent to thelower region of the back wall of the galley compartment defining thecavity.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a galleyrefrigeration system adaptable for use on multiple different aircraft,each aircraft having a differently sized galley, the galleyrefrigeration system comprising: a first galley compartment comprisingat least a back wall and a pair of first side walls defining a firstcavity, the first galley compartment comprising at least a firstcart-facing opening; a second galley compartment comprising at least theback wall and a pair of second side walls defining a second cavity, thesecond galley compartment comprising at least a second cart-facingopening; a first galley cart positionable in the first cavity of thefirst galley compartment, the first galley cart having a firstduct-facing opening, the first duct-facing opening of the first galleycart being positioned adjacent to the first cart-facing opening of thefirst galley compartment for air-through-cart cooling of the firstgalley cart; a second galley cart positionable in the second cavity ofthe second galley compartment, the second galley cart having a secondduct-facing opening, the second duct-facing opening of the second galleycart being positioned adjacent to the second cart-facing opening of thesecond galley compartment for air-through-cart cooling of the secondgalley cart; a heat exchanger configured to generate cooling air; an airsupply duct provided at the first cart-facing opening and the secondcart-facing opening, configured to guide the cooling air from the heatexchanger into the first galley cart and the second galley cart, a firstair supply duct port of the air supply duct configured to be detachablycoupled to the first duct-facing opening of the first cart in flowcommunication with the first duct-facing opening of the first galleycart, and a second air supply duct port of the air supply ductconfigured to be detachably coupled to the second duct-facing opening ofthe second cart in flow communication with the second duct-facingopening of the second galley cart; a first docking interface configuredto detachably couple the first air supply duct port of the air supplyduct at the first cart-facing opening to the first duct-facing openingof the first galley cart, the first docking interface comprising a firstelectronically actuated valve for controlling a variable flow rate ofthe cooling air from the air supply duct into the first galley cart; asecond docking interface configured to detachably couple the second airsupply duct port of the air supply duct at the second cart-facingopening to the second duct-facing opening of the second galley cart, thesecond docking interface comprising a second electronically actuatedvalve for controlling a variable flow rate of the cooling air from theair supply duct into the second galley cart; and a controlleroperatively coupled to the first docking interface and the seconddocking interface. The controller controls valve positions of the firstdocking interface and the second docking interface to balance an airpressure gradient within the air supply duct connecting the first galleycompartment and the second galley compartment with the heat exchanger.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various embodiments or may be combined in yetother embodiments further details of which can be seen with reference tothe following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary aircraft including agalley monument and galley system in accordance with a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary galley refrigerationsystem for an aircraft in accordance with the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side representation of a galley monument andexemplary galley refrigeration system in accordance with the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a heat exchanger in accordancewith the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a frontal representation of a galley monument and exemplarygalley refrigeration system in accordance with the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side representation of a galley monument andexemplary galley refrigeration system in accordance with a secondembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a frontal representation of a galley monument and exemplarygalley refrigeration system in accordance with the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary galley refrigeration system 100for an aircraft 800 is schematically illustrated. The galleyrefrigeration system 100 is used to cool galley carts 24 held in galleycompartments 12 of a galley monument 30. The galley monument 30 definesone or more galley compartments 12, which are typically arranged below acounter of the galley monument 30. The galley monument 30 is positionedwithin a cabin 810 and body 802 of the aircraft 800. The cabin 810 ofthe aircraft 800 is divided into a passenger area 812, where passengerseats 814 are located, and a galley area 815, where the galley monument30 is located. The passenger area 812 is the area exterior of the galleymonument 30 within the aircraft 800 where passengers are able to belocated. Space dedicated to the galley monument 30 is unusable forpassenger seats 814 or other purposes such as lavatories, and thus itmay be desirable for aircraft manufacturers to reduce the footprint ofthe galley area 815 in order to increase the passenger area 812.

The galley monument 30 may include any suitable number of galleycompartments 12 and the aircraft 800 may include any suitable number ofgalley monuments 30. For example, some aircraft may have as few as onegalley compartment or as many as eight galley compartments for a givengalley monument. Some commercial aircraft may include one galleymonument, while others may have two, three, or more galley monuments.The galley monuments 30 are typically arranged near the doors 816 of theaircraft 800, such as in the front and/or back of the cabin 810, but maybe located mid-cabin in some embodiments. The galley monuments 30 may beused for the storage and/or preparation of food or beverages. Somegalley monuments may be bar units used strictly for preparation ofbeverages. Some galley monuments may be incorporated into othermonuments used for other purposes such as closets, workstations,lavatories, and the like. Some galley monuments may be provided overheador under floor in some embodiments, as opposed to being situated in thepassenger cabin. As used herein a galley compartment 12 is an insulatedvolume that is utilized to store one or more galley carts 24 on theaircraft 800. A galley cart 24 a, as used herein, is a portable device,which may be insulated, that is used to store food and/or beverages thatare transported from a caterer to the aircraft 800 or from the galleycompartments 12 to other parts of the aircraft 800 for serving the foodand/or beverages. The galley carts 24 may include wheels 25, howeversome galley carts 24 may be hand carried boxes in some embodiments. Thegalley compartment 12 may include highly insulating panels that enhancethe thermal efficiency of the galley refrigeration system 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, a galley refrigeration system 100 is provided,comprising a galley compartment 12 comprising at least a back wall 14and a pair of side walls 16 defining a cavity 20, the galley compartment12 comprising at least an upper cart-facing opening 22 a positioned in avertically intermediate region 14 a of the back wall 14. The uppercart-facing opening 22 a may extend at least partially through thevertically intermediate region 14 a of the back wall 14. The cavity 20,defined by at least the back wall 14 and the pair of side walls 16, isconfigured to receive at least a galley cart 24 a.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity 20 of the galley compartment 12may also be defined by a bottom wall 26, a top wall 28, and a front wall18. The top wall 28 may be defined by the counter of a galley monument30 which defines the galley compartment 12. In some embodiments, theremay be a plurality of galley compartments 12, where the side walls 16separate adjacent galley compartments 12. In alternative embodiments,there may be no internal side walls separating adjacent galleycompartments 12, and each of the galley compartments 12 may be open toeach other. The bottom wall 26 may be defined by a floor of the cabin.Non-cooled compartments and objects may be provided above the galleycompartment 12, such as above the top wall 28 of the galley monument 30.Such non-cooled compartments and objects may include containers 804 a-dand an oven 806, for example.

The galley refrigeration system 100 further comprises a galley cart 24 apositionable in the cavity 20 of the galley compartment 12, the galleycart 24 a having an upper duct-facing opening 36 a, the upperduct-facing opening 36 a of the galley cart 24 a being positionedadjacent to the upper cart-facing opening 22 a of the galley compartment12 for air-through-cart cooling of the galley cart 24 a. Although theduct-facing openings will be described throughout the disclosure asbeing provided on the galley carts, it will be appreciated that theduct-facing openings may alternatively be provided on the galleycompartment 12 instead to enable air-over-cart cooling of the galleycarts.

The front wall 18 of the galley compartment 12 may include at least adoor 18 a that may be opened to provide access to the cavity 20 of thegalley compartment 12, such as to load and unload the galley cart 24 athrough the door 18 a. The door 18 a may be closed to retain the galleycart 24 a in the galley compartment 12 and/or to enclose the coolingspace in the cavity 20 and/or to provide thermal insulation. The door 18a may further be provided with low leakage door seals and highlyinsulating panels to further enhance thermal insulation. In an exemplaryembodiment, when the galley cart 24 a is positioned in the cavity 20, aspace 38 is defined about the galley cart 24 a. Air may be able tocirculate in the galley compartment 12 around the galley cart 24 a inthe space 38. In some embodiments, at an in-flight steady stateoperation or between meal services for example, the air may onlycirculate in the space 38 by passing through the first air supply ductport 42 a with a controllable electronically actuated valve 64 a,thereby minimizing power consumption, airflow, air velocity, and noise.

The back wall 14 may be exposed to the exterior environment of thegalley monument 30. The back wall 14 may be forward facing or rearwardfacing, depending on the orientation of the galley monument 30 withinthe cabin. The back wall 14 may face the passenger area 812 of thecabin, such that passenger seats 814 may be located behind the back wall14; however, in alternative embodiments, the back wall 14 may bepositioned against a bulkhead. The back wall 14 may define the back ofthe galley monument 30. For example, the back wall 14 may be exposed tothe passenger area 812 of the cabin 810. The back wall 14 is providedopposite the front wall 18 and the door 18 a.

The galley refrigeration system 100 includes a heat exchanger 40 that isconfigured to generate cooling air. At least a portion of the heatexchanger 40 is provided within the galley compartment 12, adjacent thevertically intermediate region 14 a of the back wall 14 of the galleycompartment 12 defining the cavity 20. The heat exchanger 40 may beprovided adjacent to a counter area 28 of a galley monument 30, wherethe galley compartment 12 is provided below the counter area 28 of thegalley monument 30. In this embodiment, the counter area 28 is definedby the top wall 28 of the galley monument 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, the heat exchanger 40 may be configured as an airchiller that includes an evaporator fan 54 used to increase the flow ofair through the galley refrigeration system 100. The evaporator fan 54forces the airflow through the air supply duct 42, the air return duct44, and into the galley compartments 12. The evaporator fan 54 may bepositioned downstream of the air return duct 44 and the heat exchanger40 as illustrated, or between the air return duct 44 and the air supplyduct 42. The evaporator fan 54 may be alternatively positioned upstreamof the heat exchanger 40. In one embodiment, the heat exchanger 40 is arefrigeration unit, which comprises a compressor 46, an evaporator 48,and a condenser 50 provided with a condenser exhaust 58 a and acondenser intake 60 a, as well as an expansion valve (not shown).However, in other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the heatexchanger 40 may alternatively replace the compressor 46, the evaporator48, and the condenser 50 with components of a thermoelectric cooler or athermoacoustic cooler, for example. When the heat exchanger 40 isconfigured as a non-vapor compression cycle unit, the condenser intake60 a may be configured as a heat rejection airflow intake and thecondenser exhaust 58 a may be configured as a heat rejection airflowexhaust. Refrigerant lines 52 are provided between the compressor 46,the condenser 50 and the evaporator 48 to transfer refrigerant throughthe heat exchanger 40. The refrigerant undergoes temperature changes inthe compressor 46, the condenser 50, and the evaporator 48 when the heatexchanger 40 is operated. The refrigerant undergoes phase changes in theevaporator 48 and in the condenser 50 when the heat exchanger 40 isoperated. The heat exchanger 40 transfers heat between the refrigerantand the airflow.

In an exemplary embodiment, a condenser supply duct 60 may be providedupstream of the condenser 50, and a condenser exhaust duct 58 may beprovided downstream of the condenser 50. A condenser fan 56 may beprovided upstream of the condenser supply duct 60 to promote airflowthrough the condenser supply duct 60, the condenser exhaust duct 58, andthe condenser 50. The condenser supply duct 60 brings airflow to thecondenser 50 which cools the condenser 50, and causes the airflow to beheated. The heated exhaust airflow is directed through the condenserexhaust duct 58 and may be expelled from the heat exchanger 40. Theexhaust air may be discharged to a predetermined location within theaircraft 800. For example, the exhaust air may be discharged into thecabin 810 of the aircraft 800. In some embodiments, the condenserexhaust 58 a may discharge exhaust air into an area around the oven 806to result in the oven 806 using less energy.

During operation of the heat exchanger 40, the compressor 46 is operatedto propel the refrigerant through the refrigerant lines 52. Therefrigerant enters the compressor 46 as a vapor. The vapor is compressedby the compressor 46 and exits the compressor 46 superheated. Thesuperheated vapor travels through the condenser 50, which cools andremoves the superheat and then condenses the vapor into a liquid. Theliquid refrigerant may pass through an expansion valve between thecondenser 50 and the evaporator 48 to decrease the pressure of therefrigerant, which results in a mixture of liquid and vapor at a lowertemperature and pressure. The cold liquid-vapor mixture travels throughthe evaporator 48, where the refrigerant is vaporized during cooling ofthe warm air. The vapor refrigerant then returns to the compressor 46.The heat exchanger 40 may include other components, such as expansionvalves, bypass valves, and the like for operating the heat exchanger 40.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the galley refrigeration system 100 includesan air supply duct 42 and an air return duct 44, in flow communicationwith the heat exchanger 40 and the galley compartments 12, to channelthe air supply from the heat exchanger 40 to the galley compartment 12and back to the heat exchanger 40. At least the air supply duct 42supplies cooled air to the galley compartment 12, and at least the airreturn duct 44 returns heated air to the heat exchanger 40. Air can flowinto and out of the galley compartment 12 through the upper cart-facingopening 22 a and the lower cart-facing opening 23 a, respectively. Theair supply duct 42 may be in flow communication with the uppercart-facing opening 22 a.

The air supply duct 42 may be an internal air supply duct runningdownstream of the evaporator 48 along the back wall 14 and positionedwithin the galley compartment 12. The air supply duct 42 and/or the airreturn duct 44 may be embedded in the walls or structures defining thegalley monument 30 and/or the cabinets, compartments, and the like ofthe galley monument 30. The air supply duct 42 and/or the air returnduct 44 may be defined by separate structures, such as sheet metal ductspreformed and set in the walls. Alternatively, the air supply duct 42and/or the air return duct 44 may be defined by the walls themselves,such as by bores or channels in the walls. The walls may define portionsor sides of the air supply duct 42 and/or the air return duct 44.

In an exemplary embodiment, the air supply duct 42 is provided at theupper cart-facing opening 22 a in the vertically intermediate region 14a of the back wall 14 and configured to guide the cooling air from theheat exchanger 40 into the galley cart 24 a. The air supply duct 42 isdetachably coupled to the upper duct-facing opening 36 a of the galleycart 24 a in flow communication with the upper duct-facing opening 36 aof the galley cart 24 a. The air supply duct 42 may further comprise athird air supply duct port 42 c which is detachably attached to the heatexchanger 40. The third air supply duct port 42 c may comprise an airseal. The air supply duct 42 may further comprise a first air supplyduct port 42 a which is detachably attached to the upper cart-facingopening 22 a of the galley compartment 12. Cool air is expelled from theair supply duct 42 through the first air supply duct port 42 a. Anentirety of the air supply duct 42 may be provided within the galleycompartment 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, the air return duct 44 is routed alongthe top wall 28 of the galley monument 30. The air return duct 44includes an air return duct port 44 a through which the cooled air isreceived from the galley compartment 12 or directly from the galley cart24 a and returned to the heat exchanger 40. The air return duct port 44a may comprise an air seal. The air return duct 44 may be detachablyattached to the heat exchanger 40 and configured to guide heated airfrom the galley cart 24 a into the heat exchanger 40. An entirety of theair return duct 44 may be provided within the galley compartment 12. Theair return duct 44 may be upstream of the evaporator 48, bringing anairflow to the evaporator 48. The air flowing over the evaporator 48 iscooled and the cooled airflow is directed through the air supply duct 42to the galley compartment 12, such as for cooling the galley carts orstandard containers.

During use, air flows through the air supply duct 42 into the galleycart 24 a. The air passes over the food or beverages in the galley cart24 a, such as by an air-through-cart supply arrangement. The air fromthe galley cart 24 a then flows through the lower duct-facing opening 37a into the space 38. The door 18 a closes the cavity 20 to define thespace 38 and contain the air in the space 38. The air is able to flowaround the outside of the galley cart 24 a within the space 38 in anair-over-cart supply arrangement to the air return duct 44. Bychanneling around the galley cart 24 a within the space 38, the galleyrefrigeration system 100 has the benefits of both an air-through-cartsupply arrangement and an air-over-cart supply arrangement, which mayincrease the cooling performance of the galley refrigeration system 100.

Moreover, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an air supply docking interface 62a is provided to detachably couple a first air supply duct port 42 a ofthe air supply duct 42 at the upper cart-facing opening 22 a to theupper duct-facing opening 36 a of the galley cart 24 a, the air supplydocking interface 62 a comprising a valve control actuator 66 a and anelectronically actuated air supply valve 64 a for controlling a variableflow rate of the cooling air from the air supply duct 42 into the galleycart 24 a. In an exemplary embodiment, the electronically actuated valve64 a includes a shape memory alloy or an electronic solenoid. Theelectronically actuated valve 64 a may be operatively coupled to acontroller 32. For example, the controller 32 may be operatively coupledto a valve control actuator 66 a, which is operatively coupled to theelectronically actuated valve 64 a. The electronically actuated valve 64a may be operable in either a fully open configuration, a fully closedposition, or any operational position between fully open and fullyclosed. Accordingly, the controller 32 may control a valve position ofthe electronically actuated valve 64 a to fully closed, partially open,or fully opened.

Likewise, an air return docking interface 68 a is provided to detachablycouple the lower cart-facing opening 23 a to the lower duct-facingopening 37 a of the galley cart 24 a. The air return docking interface68 a may comprise an air return valve 70 a for controlling a variableflow rate of the heated air from the galley cart 24 a into the space 38and the air return duct 44. The air return valve 70 a may be operable ineither a fully open configuration, a fully closed position, or anyoperational position between fully open and fully closed.

Likewise, a second air return docking interface 68 b is provided todetachably couple the second lower cart-facing opening 23 b to thesecond lower duct-facing opening 37 b of the second galley cart 24 b.The second air return docking interface 68 b may comprise a second airreturn valve 70 b for controlling a variable flow rate of the heated airfrom the second galley cart 24 b into the space 38 and the air returnduct 44.

The controller 32 may control the electronically actuated valve 64 a tocontrol air flow until the air temperature sensor 74 indicates apredetermined air temperature. The air temperature sensor 74 may beinstalled within or proximate to the air supply duct 42 or the airreturn duct 44. In operation, an air temperature sensor 74 installedwithin the air supply duct 42 senses the temperature of the cooling airbeing supplied to the galley compartment 12 via the air supply duct 42and provides real-time feedback to the controller 32 to enable thecontroller 32 to adjust or modify the operational temperature of thecooling air being supplied to the galley compartment 12. Likewise, anair temperature sensor 74 may be installed within the air return duct 44to sense the temperature of the heated air being discharged from thegalley compartment 12 via the air return duct 44 and provides real-timefeedback to the controller 32 to enable the controller 32 to adjust ormodify the operational temperature of the cooling air being input to thegalley compartment 12.

Alternatively, or in conjunction with the air temperature sensor 74, thecontroller 32 may control the electronically actuated valve 64 a tocontrol air flow until the air flow sensor 76 indicates a predeterminedair flow rate. The air flow sensor 76 may be installed within orproximate to the air supply duct 42 or the air return duct 44. Inoperation, an air flow sensor 76 installed within the air supply duct 42may sense the flow of the cooling air being supplied to the galleycompartment 12 via the air supply duct 42 and provide real-time feedbackto the controller 32 to enable the controller 32 to adjust or modify theflow rate of the cooling air being supplied to the galley compartment12. Likewise, an air flow sensor 76 installed within the air return duct44 may sense the flow of the heated air being discharged from the galleycompartment 12 via the air return duct 44 and provide real-time feedbackto the controller 32 to enable the controller 32 to adjust or modify thepressure or volume of the cooling air being supplied to the galleycompartment 12. Optionally, other sensors provided may include pressuresensors for measuring a pressure or volume of cooling air being suppliedto and/or returned from the galley compartment 12.

In operation, output from the sensors, including the air temperaturesensor 74 and/or the air flow sensor 76, are input to the controller 32.In one embodiment, the controller 32 utilizes the inputs from thesensors 74, 76 to facilitate maintaining the temperature within thegalley compartments 12 and/or the galley carts 24 based on apredetermined temperature. In various embodiments, the controller 32 ismounted to the galley monument 30, such as near the counter area 28 orproximate to the heat exchanger 40 to enable an operator to provideinputs to the controller 32. The controller 32 may be embodied as aprocessor 33 and non-volatile memory 34 storing instructions 35. Theprocessor 33 is a microprocessor that include one or more of a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SOC), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), a logic circuit, or other suitabletype of microprocessor configured to perform the functions recitedherein. The memory 34 typically includes non-volatile memory thatretains stored data even in the absence of externally applied power,such as FLASH memory, a hard disk, read only memory (ROM), electricallyerasable programmable memory (EEPROM), etc., and volatile memory such asrandom access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM), etc., which temporarily stores data onlyfor so long as power is applied during execution of programs. Theinstructions 35 executed by the processor 33 include one or moreprograms and data used by such programs sufficient to perform theoperations described herein.

In various embodiments, the controller 32 may receive an input by theoperator to maintain the contents in one of the galley compartments 12and/or the galley cart 24 a at a first predetermined temperature, andmaintain the contents of a different galley compartment 12 and/or galleycart 24 a at a second predetermined temperature that is different thanthe first predetermined temperature. In various embodiments, thecontents may be embodied as food, beverages, and/or air. Morespecifically, when the contents are embodied as air, the galleycompartment 12 or the galley cart 24 a is considered to be empty andthus the cooling air being supplied to the empty galley compartment 12or galley cart 24 a may be reduced or shut off to enable additionalcooling air to be supplied to the non-empty galley carts 24 or to reduceenergy waste. In response, the controller 32 may evaluate the varioussensor inputs and adjust the heat exchanger 40, the fan, or variousother components to maintain the galley carts 24 at the desiredtemperatures.

By actively controlling the openings of the air supply valve 64 a andair return valve 70 a to open the air supply valve 64 a and the airreturn valve just enough to release a modulated flow of cooling air intothe galley cart 24 a to maintain the air temperature inside the galleycart 24 a at a predetermined air temperature, the rate of cooling airflow into the galley cart 24 a can be reduced below conventional coolingair flow rates in current state-of-the-art galley refrigeration systems.For example, depending on the target predetermined air temperature thatis set for the inside of the galley cart 24 a, a conventional coolingair flow rate of approximately 400 cubic feet per minute in a six-cartsystem may be dropped by a factor of three or four to approximately 100cubic feet per minute or less.

Modulated evaporator airflows enable the evaporator system airflow ratesto be much smaller. In turn, smaller evaporator system airflow ratesenable the condenser system air flow rates to be much smaller. Byreducing evaporator air flow rates and condenser air flow rates, theenergy requirements of the heat exchanger 40 are further reduced.Smaller evaporator system airflow rates generate much smaller defrostcondensate rates to be removed by the galley refrigeration system 100,thereby dispensing with the need to utilize the plumbing drain system ofthe aircraft 800 to remove defrost condensate. By increasing the thermalefficiency of the refrigeration system, the amount of work required tocool down the galley compartment 12 along with the reduced evaporatorand condenser airflow rates are minimized, and the generated machineheat that is transferred into the galley cabin zone is also minimized.This reduction in generated machine heat along with the associatedsmaller condenser system airflow rates enable these condenser airflowsto originate from the galley cabin 815 and flow back into the galleycabin 815, and thereby make the galley refrigeration system physicallycontained within the galley and functionally contained within the galleyzone.

A refrigeration system that performs significantly less work can utilizea compact heat exchanger. Such a smaller heat exchanger 40 may bepositioned away from the crown of the galley monument 30, for example,where substantial ducting would be installed to flow air from the heatexchanger 40 into the galley compartments 12. Instead, the compact heatexchanger 40 can be installed closer to the galley cart 24 a, therebyreducing the length of the air supply duct 42 to flow cooling air fromthe heat exchanger 40 to the galley cart 24 a, and also reducing thelength of the air return duct 44 to flow heated air from the galley cart24 a back into the heat exchanger 40. A shorter air supply duct 42 and ashorter air return duct 44 result in further lowering the heat contentand increasing the heat efficiency of the galley refrigeration system100.

A smaller heat exchanger 40 and shorter ducts 42, 44 allow forindependence of the galley refrigeration system 100 from the plumbingsystem and the environmental control system of the aircraft 800. Inother words, the ducting system of the galley refrigeration system 100,including the air supply duct 42, air return duct 44, condenser supplyduct 60, and condenser exhaust duct 58, are not connected to the ductingsystem of the environmental control system of the aircraft 800. Inaddition, a drain sump is not required because the low amounts ofdefrost condensate will be removed via the condenser exhaust airflowinto the galley zone. Therefore, the galley refrigeration system 100 canbe easily installed and uninstalled from the aircraft 800 withoutinterfering with the existing plumbing system and environmental controlsystem of the aircraft 800, allowing installation in many differenttypes of aircraft with differing plumbing systems and environmentalcontrol systems, so that the galley refrigeration system 100 isadaptable for use on multiple different aircraft, each aircraft having adifferently sized galley. Note that the present disclosure is based onlocating this compact, low heat gain, and low energy consuming systemadjacent to the carts to further minimize heat gains and ducting airflowresistance.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment, the galleyrefrigeration system 100 includes one air supply valve 64 for eachgalley cart 24. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, therefrigeration system 100 includes two galley carts 24 a and 24 b and twocorresponding electronically actuated air supply valves 64 a and 64 bassociated with each respective galley cart 24 a and 24 b. In thisembodiment, there is an internal side wall 16 a separating the galleycompartment 12 housing the two galley carts 24 a and 24 b into twoseparate and adjacent galley compartments 12 a, 12 b comprising twoseparate and adjacent cavities 20 a, 20 b, respectively. However, inalternative embodiments, there may be no side wall provided to separatethe first galley compartment 12 a housing the first galley cart 24 afrom the second galley compartment 12 b housing the second galley cart24 b. It will be appreciated that the refrigeration system 100 mayinclude any number of galley carts 24 and valves 64 in alternativeembodiments, including just one galley cart 24 and one valve 64.

In this exemplary embodiment, in addition to the first galleycompartment 12 a, the galley refrigeration system 100 comprises a secondgalley compartment 12 b comprising at least the back wall 14 and a pairof second side walls 16 defining a second cavity 20 b, the second galleycompartment 12 b comprising at least a second cart-facing opening 22 bpositioned in the vertically intermediate region 14 a of the back wall14. The second galley cart 24 b is positionable in the second cavity 20b of the second galley compartment 12 b. The second galley cart 24 b hasa second upper duct-facing opening 36 b, the second upper duct-facingopening 36 b of the second galley cart 24 b being positioned adjacent tothe second upper cart-facing opening 22 b of the second galleycompartment for air-through-cart cooling of the second galley cart.

In addition to the first docking interface 62 a, a second dockinginterface 62 b is configured to detachably couple a second air supplyduct port 42 b of the air supply duct 42 at the second upper cart-facingopening 22 b to the second upper duct-facing opening 36 b of the secondgalley cart 24 b, the second docking interface 62 b comprising a secondelectronically actuated valve 64 b for controlling a variable flow rateof the cooling air from the air supply duct 42 into the second galleycart 24 b. In one possible configuration, the controller 32 controls avalve control actuator 66 a to control valve positions of the firstdocking interface 62 a, and controls a valve control actuator 66 b tocontrol valve positions of the second docking interface 62 b to allocatethe airflow distribution within the air supply duct 42 connecting thefirst galley compartment 12 a and the second galley compartment 12 bwith the heat exchanger 40. In other words, with this configuration, thecontroller 32 controls the air supply valve 64 a of the first cart 24 aand the air supply valve 64 b of the second galley cart 24 b to ensurethat airflow is allocated to independently control the food temperatureswithin the two galley carts 24 a, 24 b. In another possibleconfiguration, the controller 32 controls the valve control actuator 66a to control valve positions of the first docking interface 62 a, andcontrols the valve control actuator 66 b to control valve positions ofthe second docking interface 62 b to maintain the temperatures withinthe galley compartments 12 and/or the galley carts 24 based onpredetermined temperatures utilizes the inputs from the air temperaturesensor 74 and/or the air flow sensor 76.

The electronically actuated air supply valves 64 a, 64 b are operated toenable cooled air to be supplied directly to the galley carts 24 a, 24 bin an air-through cooling arrangement and to the galley compartments 12a, 12 b surrounding the respective galley carts 24 a, 24 b in anair-over cooling arrangement. In an exemplary embodiment, one returnvalve 70 is provided for each galley cart 24; however, any number ofreturn valves 70 may be provided. Using multiple controllable supplyvalves 64 and multiple return valves 70 enables the galley refrigerationsystem 100 to provide regulation of the quantity of cooling air beingsupplied to the galley carts 24.

In the schematic illustration of FIG. 5, a heat exchanger 40 isconfigured to cool the galley carts 24 a and 24 b in the galleycompartments 12 a, 12 b. The air supply duct 42 has a first air supplyduct port 42 a that is docked to the upper duct-facing opening 36 a ofthe first galley cart 24 a, and a second air supply duct port 42 b thatis docked to the upper duct-facing opening 36 b of the second galleycart 24 b. In this embodiment, the condenser exhaust 58 a is provided ata bottom wall 26 of the galley compartment and configured to dischargeexhaust airflow out of the galley compartment 12 into the galley area815 of the cabin 810; and the condenser intake 60 a is provided at a topside of the heat exchanger 40 and configured to intake air from thegalley area 815 of the cabin 810. However, in other embodiments, thecondenser exhaust 58 a may alternatively be provided at a top side ofthe heat exchanger 40 and configured to discharge exhaust airflow out ofthe galley compartment from the top side of the heat exchanger 40; andthe condenser intake 60 a may alternatively be provided at a side wallof the heat exchanger 40.

In addition to the first galley compartment 12 a, the galleyrefrigeration system 100 may further comprise a third galley compartment112 comprising at least the back wall 114 and a pair of second sidewalls 116 defining a third cavity 120, the third galley compartment 112comprising at least an upper cart-facing opening 122 a positioned in thevertically intermediate region 114 a of the back wall 114. As theconfiguration of the galley compartment 112, heat exchanger 140, andducts 142, 144 are substantially similar to the configuration of thegalley compartment 12, heat exchanger 40, and ducts 42, 44, the detaileddescription thereof is abbreviated here for the sake of brevity. It isto be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numeralsthroughout the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

In a galley area 815 that spans an entire width of the cabin 810, thegalley compartment 12, heat exchanger 40, and ducts 42, 44, 58, 60 maybe situated at a first end of the galley area 815, while the galleycompartment 112, heat exchanger 140, and ducts 142, 144, 158, 160 may besymmetrically situated at a second end of the galley area 815. It willbe appreciated that the spatial configuration of the condenser intake 60a and condenser exhaust 58 a mirrors the spatial configuration of thecondenser intake 160 a and the condenser exhaust 158 a. In other words,a first condenser intake 60 a and a first condenser exhaust 58 a at thefirst galley compartment 12 are arranged symmetrically to a secondcondenser intake 160 a and a second condenser exhaust 158 a at thesecond galley compartment 112 across a width of the galley area 815. Forexample, the first condenser intake 60 a and the first condenser exhaust58 a may be arranged symmetrically to the second condenser intake 160 aand the second condenser exhaust 158 a across at least one of a front ofthe galley area 815 and outboard surfaces of the side walls 16, 116 ofthe galley compartments 12, 112, the outboard surfaces of the side walls16, 116 including portions adjacent to at least one of a counter area28, 128 of a galley monument, a floor of the galley area 815, and aceiling of the galley area 815. Accordingly, the condenser air flows arebalanced at both ends of the galley area 815, so that no dynamicpressure gradient that pulls air from one end of the galley area 815into the other end of the galley area 815, preventing galley cabin zoneodors from migrating to passenger areas. In other words, the intake ofair by the condenser intake 60 a and the exhaust of air by the condenserexhaust 58 a are balanced out by the intake of air by the condenserintake 160 a and the exhaust of air by the condenser exhaust 158 a. Itwill be appreciated that this condenser intake and condenser exhaustsymmetry may also be achieved with the condenser intakes 60 a and 160 aand condenser exhausts 58 a and 158 a connected to a single heatexchanger via branched condenser ducting. Further, although heatexchangers 40 and 140 are each represented as one heat exchangers inFIG. 5, it will be appreciated that each heat exchanger 40 and 140 mayalternatively be replaced with a plurality of heat exchangers. Moreover,for embodiments in which only a single condenser exhaust 58 a and asingle condenser intake 60 a are provided in the galley refrigerationsystem 100, the single condenser exhaust 58 a and the single condenserintake 60 a may be provided near to the lateral centerline of the galleyarea 815 in order to minimize a potential local cabin air pressuregradient which could lead to galley odors migrating into the seatingzone.

In some embodiments, at least one of the condenser intakes 60 a, 160 aand condenser exhausts 58 a, 158 a may be configured as a controllable,electronically actuated valve operatively coupled to a valve controlactuator and a controller 32. The controller 32 may control at least oneof the condenser intakes 60 a, 160 a and condenser exhausts 58 a, 158 ato control intake air flow and/or exhaust air flow based on output froma sensor 61, which may be installed within or proximate to at least oneof the condenser intakes 60 a, 160 a and condenser exhausts 58 a, 158 a.For example, when configured to measure air temperature in a vicinity ofthe condenser exhaust 58 a, the sensor 61 may sense the temperature ofthe air in the vicinity of the condenser exhaust 58 a, and providereal-time feedback to the controller 32 to enable the controller 32 toadjust or modify the opening of the condenser exhaust 58 a to raise orlower the air temperature sensed by the sensor 61. Alternatively, whenconfigured to sense a flow of the exhaust air being discharged from thecondenser exhaust 58 a, the sensor 61 may sense the exhaust air flowfrom the condenser exhaust 58 a, and provide real-time feedback to thecontroller 32 to enable the controller 32 to adjust or modify theopening of the condenser exhaust 58 a to raise or lower the flow rate ofexhaust air released from the condenser exhaust 58 a into a galley area815 of the cabin 810. Accordingly, warm condenser exhaust airflow may becontrolled by a user to flow towards desired areas of the galley area815, such as the floor area, and condenser intake air flows andcondenser exhaust air flows may be actively controlled to maintain asymmetry in the condenser intake and condenser exhaust air flows acrossa width of the galley area 815.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a galley refrigeration system 200 isdepicted according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure,comprising a galley compartment 212 comprising at least a back wall 214and a pair of side walls 216 defining a cavity 220. The galleycompartment 212 comprises at least an upper cart-facing opening 222 apositioned in an upper region 214 b of the back wall 214, and lowercart-facing opening 223 a positioned in the lower region 214 a of theback wall 214. At least a portion of the heat exchanger 240 may beprovided within the galley compartment 212 and adjacent to the lowerregion 214 a of the back wall 214 of the galley compartment 212 definingthe cavity 220. The cavity 220, defined by at least the back wall 214and the pair of side walls 216, is configured to receive at least agalley cart 224 a. The galley carts 224 may include wheels 225, howeversome galley carts 224 may be hand carried boxes in some embodiments.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cavity 220 of the galley compartment 212may also be defined by a bottom wall 226, a top wall 228, a front wall218, and a door 218 a. As the walls of the cavity 220 are substantiallysimilar to those of the galley compartment 12 of the first embodiment,the detailed description thereof is abbreviated here for the sake ofbrevity. It is to be noted that like parts are designated by likereference numerals throughout the detailed description and theaccompanying drawings.

The galley refrigeration system 200 further comprises a galley cart 224a positionable in the cavity 220 of the galley compartment 212, thegalley cart 224 a having a lower duct-facing opening 237 a, the lowerduct-facing opening 237 a of the galley cart 224 a being positionedadjacent to the lower cart-facing opening 223 a of the galleycompartment 212 for air-through-cart cooling of the galley cart 224 a. Asecond galley cart 224 b may also be positionable in the cavity 220 ofthe galley compartment 212, the second galley cart 224 b having a secondlower duct-facing opening 237 b, the second lower duct-facing opening237 b of the galley cart 224 b being positioned adjacent to the secondlower cart-facing opening 223 b of the galley compartment 212 forair-through-cart cooling of the galley cart 224 b. In this embodiment,there is no internal side wall to separate the galley compartment 212into two separate compartments. However, in alternative embodiments,there may be a side wall separating one compartment housing the firstgalley cart 224 a from another compartment housing the second galleycart 224 b. It will be appreciated that the refrigeration system 200 mayinclude any number of galley carts 224 in alternative embodiments,including just one galley cart 224.

Like the heat exchanger 40 of the first embodiment, the heat exchanger240 of the second embodiment also involves the condensation of vapor andheating and cooling of refrigerant to generate cooling air flow.Accordingly, a condenser intake 260 a is provided at the bottom of thegalley compartment 212 to bring air flow to the condenser in the heatexchanger 240, which cools the condenser and causes the airflow to beheated. A condenser exhaust 258 a is provided to expel the heatedexhaust airflow from the heat exchanger 240. In this embodiment, thecondenser exhaust 258 a is provided at a lower side wall of the galleycompartment and configured to discharge exhaust airflow out of thegalley compartment 212; and the condenser intake 260 a is provided at abottom wall 226 of the heat exchanger 240. However, the positions of thecondenser exhaust 250 a and the condenser intake 260 a are notparticularly limited. In some embodiments, the condenser exhaust 258 amay alternatively be provided at a top side of the heat exchanger 40 andconfigured to discharge exhaust airflow out of the galley compartmentfrom the top side of the heat exchanger 240; and the condenser intake260 a may alternatively be provided at a side wall of the heat exchanger240. The condenser exhaust 250 and condenser intake 260 a may also beducted to be positioned at predetermined locations along the side walls216 facing the galley zone in a symmetrical arrangement across a widthof the galley area 815.

The heat exchanger 240 is configured to cool the galley carts 224 a and224 b in the galley compartment 212 by passing cooling air to the galleycompartment 212 through an air supply duct 242 provided internallywithin the heat exchanger 240. As the air supply duct is 242 is notprovided externally of the heat exchanger 240, heat gains through theair supply duct 242 are minimized. The air supply duct 242 has a firstair supply duct port 242 a that is docked to the lower duct-facingopening 237 a of the first galley cart 224 a, and a second air supplyduct port 242 b that is docked to the second lower duct-facing opening237 b of the second galley cart 224 b.

The galley refrigeration system 200 may include one air supply valve 264for each galley cart 224 a, 224 b. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, the refrigeration system 200 includes two galley carts 224 aand 224 b and two corresponding electronically actuated air supplyvalves 264 a and 264 b associated with each respective galley cart 224 aand 224 b. However, it will be appreciated that the refrigeration system200 may include any number of air supply valves 264 in alternativeembodiments. The electronically actuated air supply valve 264 a isoperated to enable cooled air to be supplied directly to the galley cart224 a in an air-through cooling arrangement and to the galleycompartment 212 surrounding the respective galley cart 224 a in anair-over cooling arrangement.

Moreover, an air supply docking interface 262 a is provided todetachably couple the heat exchanger 240 at the lower cart-facingopening 223 a to the lower duct-facing opening 237 a of the galley cart224 a, the air supply docking interface 262 a comprising theelectronically actuated air supply valve 264 a for controlling avariable flow rate of the cooling air from the heat exchanger 240 intothe galley cart 224 a. In this exemplary embodiment, the electronicallyactuated valve 264 a may include a shape memory alloy or an electronicsolenoid. The electronically actuated valve 264 a may be operativelycoupled to a controller. For example, the controller may be operativelycoupled to a valve control actuator, which is operatively coupled to theelectronically actuated valve 264 a. The electronically actuated valve264 a may be operable in either a fully open configuration, a fullyclosed position, or any operational position between fully open andfully closed. Accordingly, the controller may control a valve positionof the electronically actuated valve 264 a to fully closed, partiallyopen, or fully opened.

Likewise, a second air supply docking interface 262 b is provided todetachably couple the heat exchanger 240 at the second lower cart-facingopening 223 b to the second lower duct-facing opening 237 b of thesecond galley cart 224 b, the air supply docking interface 262 bcomprising the second electronically actuated air supply valve 264 b forcontrolling a variable flow rate of the cooling air from the heatexchanger 240 into the second galley cart 224 b.

An air temperature sensor 274 may be installed within or proximate tothe air supply duct 242 or the air return duct 244. The controller maycontrol the electronically actuated valves 264 a and 264 b to controlair flow until the air temperature sensor 274 indicates a predeterminedair temperature. Alternatively, or in conjunction with the airtemperature sensor 274, an air flow sensor 276 may be installed withinor proximate to the air supply duct 242 or the air return duct 244. Thecontroller may control the electronically actuated valves 264 a and 264b to control air flow until the air flow sensor 276 indicates apredetermined air flow rate.

The galley refrigeration system 200 may include one air return valve 270for each galley cart 224 a, 224 b. For example, in the illustratedembodiment, the refrigeration system 200 includes two galley carts 224 aand 224 b. Two corresponding air return valves 270 a and 270 bassociated with each respective galley cart 224 a and 224 b mayoptionally be included in the refrigeration system 200. However, it willbe appreciated that the refrigeration system 200 may include any numberof air return valves 270 in alternative embodiments. The air returnvalve 270 a is operated to enable heated air in the galley cart 224 aand the galley compartment 212 surrounding the respective galley cart224 a to return to the heat exchanger 240.

The galley cart 224 a has an upper duct-facing opening 236 a which ispositioned adjacent to the upper cart-facing opening 222 a of the galleycompartment 212. An air return docking interface 268 a is provided todetachably couple the upper cart-facing opening 222 a to the upperduct-facing opening 236 a of the galley cart 224 a, the air returndocking interface 268 a comprising the air return valve 270 a forcontrolling a variable flow rate of the heated air from the galley cart224 a into the space 238 and the air return duct 244. The air returnvalve 270 a may be operable in either a fully open configuration, afully closed position, or any operational position between fully openand fully closed. Accordingly, the heat exchanger 240 and the air returnduct 244, in flow communication with the galley compartments 212,channel the air supply from the heat exchanger 240 to the galleycompartment 212 and the galley cart 224 a and back to the heat exchanger240.

Likewise, the second galley cart 224 b has an upper duct-facing opening236 b which is positioned adjacent to the upper cart-facing opening 222b of the galley compartment 212. An air return docking interface 268 bis provided to detachably couple the second upper cart-facing opening222 b to the second upper duct-facing opening 236 b of the second galleycart 224 b, the second air return docking interface 268 b comprising thesecond air return valve 270 b for controlling a variable flow rate ofthe heated air from the second galley cart 224 b into the space 238 andthe air return duct 244.

In accordance with this configuration, the controller controls the firstair supply valve 264 a of the first galley cart 224 a and the second airsupply valve 264 b of the second galley cart 224 b to ensure that nopressure gradient exists between the two carts.

Like the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, the galley refrigeration system200 may be arranged such that, in a galley area 815 that spans an entirewidth of the cabin, the galley compartment 212, heat exchanger 240, andducts 242, 244, 258, 260 may be situated at a first end of the galleyarea 815, while another galley compartment, heat exchanger, and ductsmay be symmetrically situated at a second end of the galley area 815, sothat the spatial configuration of the condenser intake 260 a andcondenser exhaust 258 a mirrors the spatial configuration of the othercondenser intake and the other condenser exhaust. Accordingly, thecondenser air flows are balanced at both ends of the galley area 815, sothat no dynamic pressure gradient that pulls air from one end of thegalley area 815 into the other end of the galley area 815. It will beappreciated that this condenser intake and condenser exhaust symmetrymay also be achieved with the condenser intakes and condenser exhaustsconnected to a single heat exchanger via branched condenser ducting.

Accordingly, galley refrigeration systems 100 and 200 contained withinthe galley 815 of the aircraft 800 and functionally independent of theenvironmental control system and plumbing system of the aircraft areachieved. A hybrid combination of both an air-through-cart supplyarrangement and an air-over-cart supply arrangement achieves lowersystem heat gain and faster air temperature pull down capabilities withsmaller exhaust heat and airflow signatures, further enablingindependent cooling of sections of the galley compartments, such asindividual galley carts. Modulated air flows of cooling air activelycontrolled by air supply valves allow galley carts to receive justenough cooling air to fulfill cooling requirements predetermined for thegalley compartments, potentially reducing the total system air flow ofcooling air supplied to the galley carts and also reducing the air flowsof condenser intake air and condenser exhaust, thereby reducing energyrequirements of the heat exchanger and allowing for a more compact sizedheat exchanger. A compact heat exchanger may be modularly installed at agalley monument, closer to the galley compartments and galley carts, sothat air supply ducts, air return ducts, condenser supply ducts, andcondenser exhaust ducts can be reduced in length accordingly, reducingheat gain in the galley refrigeration system. A modularly installableheat exchanger means that the heat exchanger can be easily replaced inan aircraft, as opposed to heat exchangers and ducting that physicallyinterface with the environmental control system and plumbing system ofthe aircraft and are installed remotely from the galley, e.g., on top ofthe galley in the crown space. A symmetrical arrangement of thelocations of the condenser exhaust and condenser intake ports along agalley zone ensures that dynamic pressure gradients do not developwithin the air space of the cabin, preventing galley cabin zone odorsfrom migrating to passenger areas of the cabin, for example.

The present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinationsand subcombinations of the various features and techniques disclosedherein. The various features and techniques disclosed herein are notnecessarily required of all examples of the present disclosure.Furthermore, the various features and techniques disclosed herein maydefine patentable subject matter apart from the disclosed examples andmay find utility in other implementations not expressly disclosedherein.

1. A galley refrigeration system adaptable for use on multiple differentaircraft, each aircraft having a differently sized galley, the galleyrefrigeration system comprising: a first galley compartment comprisingat least a back wall and a pair of first side walls defining a firstcavity, the first galley compartment comprising at least a firstcart-facing opening; a second galley compartment comprising at least theback wall and a pair of second side walls defining a second cavity, thesecond galley compartment comprising at least a second cart-facingopening; a first galley cart positionable in the first cavity of thefirst galley compartment, the first galley cart having a firstduct-facing opening, the first duct-facing opening of the first galleycart being positioned adjacent to the first cart-facing opening of thefirst galley compartment for air-through-cart cooling or air-over-cartcooling of the first galley cart; a second galley cart positionable inthe second cavity of the second galley compartment, the second galleycart having a second duct-facing opening, the second duct-facing openingof the second galley cart being positioned adjacent to the secondcart-facing opening of the second galley compartment forair-through-cart cooling or air-over-cart cooling of the second galleycart; a first plurality of heat exchangers provided in the first galleycompartment and configured to generate cooling air; and an air supplyduct provided at the first cart-facing opening and the secondcart-facing opening, wherein at least a portion of one of the firstplurality of heat exchangers is provided within the first galleycompartment and adjacent a vertically intermediate region of the backwall of the first galley compartment defining the first cavity, oradjacent to a lower region of the back wall of the first galleycompartment defining the first cavity.
 2. The galley refrigerationsystem of claim 1, wherein the air supply duct is configured to guidethe cooling air from the first plurality of heat exchangers into thefirst galley cart and the second galley cart, a first air supply ductport of the air supply duct configured to be detachably coupled to thefirst duct-facing opening of the first galley cart in flow communicationwith the first duct-facing opening of the first galley cart, and asecond air supply duct port of the air supply duct configured to bedetachably coupled to the second duct-facing opening of the secondgalley cart in flow communication with the second duct-facing opening ofthe second galley cart.
 3. The galley refrigeration system of claim 1,wherein a first condenser intake and a first condenser exhaust at thefirst galley compartment are arranged symmetrically to a secondcondenser intake and a second condenser exhaust at the second galleycompartment across a width of a galley area of a cabin.
 4. The galleyrefrigeration system of claim 3, further comprising a controller,wherein at least one of the first condenser intake, the first condenserexhaust, the second condenser intake, and the second condenser exhaustis configured as a controllable, electronically actuated valveoperatively coupled to the controller.
 5. The galley refrigerationsystem of claim 4, wherein the first condenser intake and the firstcondenser exhaust are arranged symmetrically to the second condenserintake and the second condenser exhaust across at least one of a frontof the galley area and outboard surfaces of the side walls of the galleycompartments, the outboard surfaces of the side walls including portionsadjacent to at least one of a counter area of a galley monument, a floorof the galley area, and a ceiling of the galley area.
 6. The galleyrefrigeration system of claim 4, wherein the electronically actuatedvalve includes a shape memory alloy or an electronic solenoid.
 7. Thegalley refrigeration system of claim 1, further comprising a secondplurality of heat exchangers provided within the second galleycompartment.
 8. The galley refrigeration system of claim 7, wherein thefirst plurality of heat exchangers in the first galley compartment arearranged symmetrically to the second plurality of heat exchangers in thesecond galley compartment.
 9. The galley refrigeration system of claim7, wherein at least a portion of one of the second plurality of heatexchangers is provided adjacent a vertically intermediate region of theback wall of the second galley compartment defining the second cavity,or adjacent to the lower region of the back wall of the second galleycompartment defining the second cavity.
 10. The galley refrigerationsystem of claim 1, wherein the one of the first plurality of heatexchangers comprises a compressor, an evaporator, and a condenserprovided with a condenser intake configured to intake air from a galleyarea of a cabin and a condenser exhaust configured to discharge exhaustairflow into the galley area of the cabin.
 11. A galley refrigerationsystem adaptable for use on multiple different aircraft, each aircrafthaving a differently sized galley, the galley refrigeration systemcomprising: a first galley compartment comprising at least a back walland a pair of first side walls defining a first cavity, the first galleycompartment comprising at least a first cart-facing opening; a secondgalley compartment comprising at least the back wall and a pair ofsecond side walls defining a second cavity, the second galleycompartment comprising at least a second cart-facing opening; a firstgalley cart positionable in the first cavity of the first galleycompartment; a second galley cart positionable in the second cavity ofthe second galley compartment; a first heat exchanger provided in thefirst galley compartment and configured to generate cooling air; asecond heat exchanger provided in the second galley compartment andconfigured to generate cooling air; wherein at least a portion of thefirst heat exchanger is provided within the first galley compartment andadjacent a vertically intermediate region of the back wall of the firstgalley compartment defining the first cavity, or adjacent to a lowerregion of the back wall of the first galley compartment defining thefirst cavity; and at least a portion of the second heat exchanger isprovided within the second galley compartment and adjacent thevertically intermediate region of the back wall of the second galleycompartment defining the second cavity, or adjacent to a lower region ofthe back wall of the second galley compartment defining the secondcavity.
 12. The galley refrigeration system of claim 11, wherein a firstcondenser intake and a first condenser exhaust at the first galleycompartment are arranged symmetrically to a second condenser intake anda second condenser exhaust at the second galley compartment across awidth of a galley area of a cabin.
 13. The galley refrigeration systemof claim 12, further comprising a controller, wherein at least one ofthe first condenser intake, the first condenser exhaust, the secondcondenser intake, and the second condenser exhaust is configured as acontrollable, electronically actuated valve operatively coupled to thecontroller.
 14. The galley refrigeration system of claim 13, wherein thefirst condenser intake and the first condenser exhaust are arrangedsymmetrically to the second condenser intake and the second condenserexhaust across at least one of a front of the galley area and outboardsurfaces of the side walls of the galley compartments, the outboardsurfaces of the side walls including portions adjacent to at least oneof a counter area of a galley monument, a floor of the galley area, anda ceiling of the galley area.
 15. The galley refrigeration system ofclaim 13, wherein the electronically actuated valve includes a shapememory alloy or an electronic solenoid.
 16. The galley refrigerationsystem of claim 11, further comprising a second plurality of heatexchangers provided within the second galley compartment, including thesecond heat exchanger.
 17. The galley refrigeration system of claim 16,further comprising a first plurality of heat exchangers provided withinthe first galley compartment, including the first heat exchanger. 18.The galley refrigeration system of claim 17, wherein the first pluralityof heat exchangers in the first galley compartment are arrangedsymmetrically to the second plurality of heat exchangers in the secondgalley compartment.
 19. A galley refrigeration system adaptable for useon multiple different aircraft, each aircraft having a differently sizedgalley, the galley refrigeration system comprising: a first galleycompartment comprising at least a back wall and a pair of first sidewalls defining a first cavity, the first galley compartment comprisingat least a first cart-facing opening; a second galley compartmentcomprising at least the back wall and a pair of second side wallsdefining a second cavity, the second galley compartment comprising atleast a second cart-facing opening; a first galley cart positionable inthe first cavity of the first galley compartment, the first galley carthaving a first duct-facing opening, the first duct-facing opening of thefirst galley cart being positioned adjacent to the first cart-facingopening of the first galley compartment for air-through-cart orair-over-cart cooling of the first galley cart; a second galley cartpositionable in the second cavity of the second galley compartment, thesecond galley cart having a second duct-facing opening, the secondduct-facing opening of the second galley cart being positioned adjacentto the second cart-facing opening of the second galley compartment forair-through-cart cooling or air-over-cart of the second galley cart; aheat exchanger configured to generate cooling air; and an air supplyduct provided at the first cart-facing opening and the secondcart-facing opening, configured to guide the cooling air from the heatexchanger into the first galley cart and the second galley cart, a firstair supply duct port of the air supply duct configured to be detachablycoupled to the first duct-facing opening of the first galley cart inflow communication with the first duct-facing opening of the firstgalley cart, and a second air supply duct port of the air supply ductconfigured to be detachably coupled to the second duct-facing opening ofthe second galley cart in flow communication with the second duct-facingopening of the second galley cart, wherein a first condenser intake anda first condenser exhaust at the first galley compartment are arrangedsymmetrically to a second condenser intake and a second condenserexhaust at the second galley compartment across a centerline of a galleyarea of a cabin.
 20. The galley refrigeration system of claim 19,wherein the first condenser intake and the second condenser intaketerminate at a single condenser intake provided at the centerline of thegalley area; and the first condenser exhaust and the second condenserexhaust terminate at a single condenser exhaust provided at thecenterline of the galley area.